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ARE WE TRADING OUR WELLTH FOR WEALTH?

I have been working as dietitian in elderly long term care facility for the past two and half years since 2016.
It was not a charity care rather paid service centers with most of your daily needs are taken care of perfectly.Morning routine, grooming, 5 meals per day, nursing care, TV time, physiotherapy, more than enough rest and sleep.

When we look at the reasons for children to send their parent to LTC facilities, it is mostly due to their health condition where it is dangerous to leave the ill parent at home without any supervision when they are away for work. On top of that, working children are unable to spend time for the nursing care
needed by the parents.

As the industry growing with high demand for elderly long term care [we are turning into ageing nation with 20% of total population to be aged more than 60years by 2040 (1)], there are many more LTC facilities with high standard services will be blooming.

It has been said that Malaysians will have at least 15 years to live after retirement (1). I am wondering if I would prefer to spend 15years of my old age in such dependant way. Obviously I do not.
Because all the services provided would meet my physical needs. What about my soul’s needs?

My grandpa is approximately 85 years old and he is able to do his daily routines from brushing teeth, bathing, making breakfast by himself (because most of us at home will be leaving to work early in the morning) and even does some house chores like sweeping the floor, feeding the puppies and picking flowers from the garden for prayers.

In the fast growing world not all able to have their parents or old aged loved ones at home and to look after them. So it is not about where we will spend our old age but it is about how we will be spending our life after retirement.

Regardless of where the elderly is staying, it is crucial that they spend their old age in a soulfully happy way.

In order to attain such aging, we need to be wellthy instead being wealthy. Because wealth could pay for the best dependency (best long term care/medical care) nevertheless wellth could assure independency in which the key to happy aging.

Wellth – it is the currency of our lives. As how we can’t attain wealth overnight, wellth can be attained neither overnight at the age of 60.

HENCE, find the balance to build your ‘wellth’ as well while building your wealth.

-by Theeba Muniandy

Reference:
1. B. (2018, August 29). Don: Government needs to plan for ageing Malaysians. Retrieved February 5, 2019,
from https://www.thestar.com.my/…/don-govt-needs-to-plan-for-ag…/

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